


Mad Sounds

by TheIndifferentDroid



Series: Mad Sounds [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 01:14:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10709058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIndifferentDroid/pseuds/TheIndifferentDroid
Summary: Moving to a new place comes with its headaches… and its perks. Your new neighbor Kylo appears to be a pain at first, but your acquaintance will help you out in a surprising way.





	Mad Sounds

Living in an apartment was not as glamorous as you had hoped. You had fought your parents tooth and nail about moving out of state. You wanted a new beginning on your own. And, boy, did you get it.

For the last 3 months, you had been blessed with the realities of apartment life: constant maintenance calls and upstairs neighbors. At least the maintenance was the responsibility of the property managers. The neighbor nuisance, however, was solely yours.

He wasn’t a bad neighbor, not really. It’s just that he walked with a heavy foot. You almost wondered if you had moved in below a bowling alley.

You were in the apartment for a week before you got the courage to confront him. It was particularly bad that night, the stomping and the clatter of who knows what banging against your ceiling.

The metal stairs banged under your feet as you climbed to the second floor, foolishly imitating your neighbor’s practices. You wanted him to know you were coming.  
Knocking hard five times, your heart raced. The anger-fueled adrenaline had worn off and now you were scared, too frozen to turn around and go back downstairs.  
The lock clicked and the handle rattled and sent your heart into your throat.

The man who answered the door was red in the face; he took short breaths. He was quite large, and you suddenly weren’t surprised why he walked so heavily. You could tell he was trying to control his breaths, but was doing so unsuccessfully. His jet-black hair clung to his forehead in a few places.

He was silent.

“Hey. I live downstairs.” You paused, giving him time to realize where you were going with this. He didn’t catch on. “And I was just wondering if you could just tone it down a little? It sounds like a goddamn construction zone up here.” You let out a fake chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood.

His brows furrowed while he stared at the ground. You glanced past him to see if you could figure out what was going on. All you could manage to see, just over his shoulder, was a table on its side, its contents strewn all over the floor.

When you looked back at him, he was looking at you. The eye contact made you jump, your heart racing faster now. He quickly realized what you had seen and hastily moved to join you outside, slamming the door behind him. The close proximity made you retreat a few steps away.

He ran a hand through his hair, removing the pieces from his face. “I’m sorry. I was just… I was rearranging my furniture.”

He lied. You knew he lied, and he knew you didn’t buy it. But what was he supposed to say? No one had lived downstairs as long as he lived here. He’d have to find other outlets for his anger.

You thought for a second. “Oh, okay. Well, don’t make a habit of it,” you slyly suggested.

You began down the steps before his deep voice called out. “Wait.”

You stopped and turned where you stood, waiting for him to speak again. You realized your heart was still in your throat. Something about his guy got to you.  
“Here. Let’s exchange numbers. That way we can just text each other if we’re being too disruptive.”

You squinted your eyes at him. “We? How can I be disruptive? I’m not loud. And I’m below you.” Was this just a ploy to get your number? Not that you’d mind.

He stared back at you, his golden eyes almost sparkling as he smiled. “I was treated to a concert the other night, if you recall. An entire Arctic Monkeys album, was it?”

Your eyes grew wide as you felt flush. You thought back to unpacking earlier that week. You had been singing to pass the time. “Oh my god. You heard that?!”

He smiled again, his handsome face nearly distracting you from the horror you felt. “Every word.”

You placed your hand over your face. You couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. “I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

“It’s fine.” He paused, causing you to look up. “Just don’t make a habit of it.” A smirk crept onto his face.

You rolled your eyes playfully. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

He stuck out his hand for a handshake and you followed suit. His hand swallowed yours and your eyes wandered up his arm to his biceps. You stared there for a second before you moved upwards to make eye contact. Your heart fluttered against your chest. “I’m Kylo.”

The two of you exchanged numbers, and he next few months had been going smoothly. Every now and then you’d shoot him a text to turn down the volume, his video games or movies blaring through the floor. He would easily comply. You’d been pretty disciplined at keeping your singing to a minimum, though if it did happen, he never complained. He was trying to gain your affections.

Even if Kylo made a racket, it was during the day or early evening hours. Never overnight. That’s why this surprised you. You heard something. One of those sounds that seeps into a dream, and you’re not sure if it’s real or imaginary.

You groggily rolled over in bed, keeping your eyes shut, listening intently. It must have been in your dream because you didn’t hear it anymore. You rolled to your other side and began to doze off. But the noise, you heard it again.

“Goddammit, Kylo.”

You sat up in bed and patted your side table for your phone. The light blinded you, and you haphazardly texted Kylo, one eye shut.

Keep it down. Some of us are trying to sleep.

You locked your phone and lay back down, pulling the covers over your head.

Kylo awoke to his phone going off.

Then he heard glass shatter. Then a scream that sounded too much like you.

He immediately threw the covers off of him, frantically searching for a pair of pants and shoes to slip on. 

Downstairs, you slowly crept into the front of your apartment, knowing you likely weren’t alone. From the hallway, you could see that the front door was open. Light from your porch poured into the living room, illuminating the sprinkling of broken glass on the floor. Your breath shuddered.

It was hard to hear anything with your ears being flooded by your heartbeat, but you didn’t hear anyone else walking around.

You walked out into the living room, slowly surveying the damage. It was hard to walk with how shaky you were. You thoughts were jumbled. It still felt like you were asleep. As reality slowly hit you, you realized you needed to call the cops. Turning around to head back towards your bedroom, a stranger blocked your path.

“Well, hey there, beautiful.”

Your heart sank and you felt faint. Immediately, you turned to run out the open door, but the intruder grabbed your forearm forcefully.

“No, ma’am. I don’t think so.”

You panicked. Your breathing quickened, almost to the point you were hyperventilating.

The man eyed you up, making you shiver. His hair was disheveled and he smelled horribly of body odor and alcohol. You couldn’t catch all of his facial features in the darkness, but you didn’t like what you saw.

Quickly, you reared back your free arm to punch him, disable him, whatever you could, but he grabbed your fist with his free hand.

“I see how it’s going to be.”

Before you could decide what to do next, you heard heavy footsteps coming down the metal staircase out front.

In the distance you heard Kylo. “Y/N?”

“Kylo!” you screamed. You returned your attention to the man in front of you. “Let me go!’” You pulled both of your arms away roughly, making him lose his balance. He was disoriented now.

“Leave before I make you leave.” Kylo stepped into your apartment. You saw something glinting on his fist.

The intruder didn’t budge. He pushed you to the side and raised his fists, ready to fight, focusing on Kylo.

Kylo raised his fists in return, brass knuckles now incredibly apparent. His deep voice was commanding. “Go. Now.”

He stepped away from the door, keeping his fists raised, allowing the intruder to escape. Kylo watched him run away, walking outside to make sure he was gone.

Kylo ran back inside quickly, closing the door behind him. He dropped the brass knuckles onto the floor, the noise making you jump. He watched you standing frozen near the hallway, and he approached you, keeping a few feet away. He had never been this close to you before, and he was increasingly apparently at how little he was wearing.

“Y/N? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

You tried to speak, but you couldn’t form a sentence. You only shook your head, staring off into the distance.

“Is it okay if I…” He outstretched his arm towards you with an open hand.

You nodded, breaking your daze to look up at him. His gaze was intense, worrisome. He was an intimating being, like he had just displayed, but his face read otherwise.

He approached you, slowly, placing his hand on your shoulder. He gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze, and that did you in. You began to cry, the depth of the situation finally hitting you. You subconsciously cowered into Kylo’s chest, only realizing what you had done after you felt his body heat engulf you. His scent was calming, his bare chest hard yet comforting. You didn’t move; you didn’t want to.

Hesitantly, he moved his hand off of your shoulder and began to soothe your back, running his hands up and down.

“It’s okay,” he said after a short silence. He stopped his hands and encased you in a hug, his long, muscular arms reaching across your back. He squeezed your sides where his hands lay, and rested his chin on your head. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”


End file.
